Just a few days ago I ran into a former student of mine who had recently graduated from MCC’s 2+2 program. She excitedly recounted her past two years and discussed her big plans for the next two at Cornell, which is just one of 130 colleges and universities that MCC students transferred to last year.
I thought about the opportunities that are open to all of us (young and young at heart) at Monroe Community College. We are truly lucky to have one of the top community colleges in our backyard, and nearly 1,000 students of the record fall enrollment of 25,000 are from Webster.
I am fortunate to serve as the vice-chairman of the Monroe County Legislature’s Recreation and Education Committee, and in the this capacity I’ve been able to work collaboratively with the leaders of MCC, most notably Dr. Anne Kress, the president of the college. Under Dr. Kress’s leadership, MCC is undertaking a number of initiatives to position the students and our whole community for success. There is a new Honors College coming on line soon as well as international education, refreshed student services and a redesigned Web site.
One of the most exciting projects that began last summer is the design and construction of a new downtown site for the Damon City Campus. Dr. Kress and her team have been working with County Executive Maggie Brooks and other Monroe County representatives, and their goal is to have a site identified by the end of 2010.
MCC began over 40 years ago serving just under one thousand students. Next year they expect to have over 36,000 students taking credit and non-credit courses in over 80 degree and certificate programs. Our county tax dollars account for just over $15 million of MCC’s $117 million budget, but considering the $700 million economic impact that the college has on our community each year, it’s money well spent.
My next column will share some other collaborative projects and partnerships between MCC and the county government. It is a partnership that I’m proud to be part of and one that I will champion in the future.
Please contact me at Carmen.Gumina@gmail.com with your comments and concerns and other ideas for columns.
